Michigan Saves Best for Last, Topples Archrival Michigan St.

Maryland guard Sequoia Austin reacts after scoring a basket in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in College Park, Md., Sunday, March 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Trey Burke stole the ball from Keith Appling near midcourt and went in alone for a dunk with 22 seconds remaining, then made another steal in the final seconds to give No. 4 Michigan a pulsating 58-57 win over No. 9 Michigan State yesterday.

The Spartans (22-7, 11-5 Big Ten) had the ball with the shot clock off at 56-all, but Burke’s first big defensive play enabled Michigan (24-5, 11-5) to take the lead. After Derrick Nix made one of two free throws and Mitch McGary missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Michigan, Burke stole a pass by Gary Harris to end it.

The Michigan State loss clinches at least a share of the Big Ten title for Indiana.

Purdue 69 No. 17 Wisconsin 56

Madison, Wis. — D.J. Byrd scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and Purdue upset Wisconsin.

Terone Johnson added 16 points for the Boilermakers (14-15, 7-9 Big Ten), who had lost three straight road games and four of five overall. Purdue took control with a 21-3 run in the second half during which Byrd had nine points and Johnson eight.

Jared Berggren scored 13 points and Ryan Evans and Sam Dekker had 10 apiece for the Badgers (20-9, 11-5), who had won six of their previous seven.

Zanna added a career-high 19 rebounds for the Panthers (23-7, 11-6 Big East), who trailed by as much as nine in the second half. James Robinson also had 14 points for Pitt, including a game-tying 3-pointer with 33 seconds left in regulation and another in overtime that gave the Panthers a five-point lead.

They overcame a season-high 29 turnovers by forcing the hot-and-cold Tar Heels (26-5, 14-4) to miss 19 consecutive shots during a span of roughly 10 minutes in the second half and beat their archrivals for the sixth straight time.

Lucas made a career-high eight 3-pointers, with four of them coming in a bunch to help the Lady Lions stretch their lead in the first half and three more keeping the Huskers at bay early in the second.

Coming off losses to Top 25 foes Duke and Florida State, the Terrapins (23-6, 14-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) led 38-22 at halftime and coasted to their 14th straight victory over the Demon Deacons (12-18, 5-13).

The Flyers (26-1, 14-0) set a record for victories since moving to Division I in the 1985-86 season. Both teams advanced to Saturday’s Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals, where Saint Joseph’s (20-8, 11-3) will be the host and fourth seed.

A 16-4 run in the final 6 minutes of the first half gave Dayton a 37-25 halftime lead. Kelley Austria hit two 3-pointers during that run.

The Flyers led by as many as 18 points in the second half. Erin Shields and Natasha Cloud led a Saint Joseph’s rally that cut it to four, but MacKay secured the win with four free throws in the final 17 seconds.

Shields scored 28 points and Cloud 17 for the Hawks.

LSU 67, No. 13 TEXAS A&M 52

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Theresa Plaisance scored 16 points and Danielle Ballard had 15 points and 11 rebounds Sunday to lead LSU to a victory over Texas A&M in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Ballard, a freshman, posted her second consecutive double-double for the Tigers (19-10, 10-6 SEC), who have won six in a row entering next weekend’s Southeastern Conference tournament. Ballard had 14 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday in a win over Alabama.

Bianca Lutley had 14 points and five assists and Adrienne Webb scored 11 points for LSU.

The Gamecocks (23-6, 11-5) set a school record for Southeastern Conference victories in a season and tied their program record for regular-season wins.

Khadijah Sessions’ 3-pointer started a 9-2 run that gave the Gamecocks a 53-44 lead with 6:32 remaining. They led 61-49 with 3:41 left after a three-point play and another free throw by Welch and a jumper by Bruner.

Welch also had 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season, and Walker tied her career high with eight assists.

Sydney Moss scored 16 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Gators (17-13, 6-10). Jaterra Bonds added 12 points before fouling out and Jennifer George had 10 points and blocked four shots.

Both teams will begin play Thursday at the SEC tournament in Duluth, Ga.

Nirra Fields scored 21 and tied Brewer and Jasmine Dixon with a team-high eight rebounds for the Bruins (23-6, 14-4), who have won four in a row. UCLA is the third seed and will receive a bye in the Pac-12 tournament that begins Thursday in Seattle.

Markel Walker had 10 points and seven assists for the Bruins, who played without Thea Lemberger, who injured her elbow in Friday’s win at Arizona State.

Davellyn White had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Arizona (12-17, 4-14). The Wildcats have lost four in a row.

No. 18 DELAWARE 62, DREXEL 57

NEWARK, Del. (AP) — Elena Delle Donne posted a double-double and Lauren Carra scored a season-high 21 points to help Delaware beat Drexel and tie a school record with 21 straight wins.

Delle Donne finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, her eighth double-double this season, while Carra made 7 of 14 shots, including a 3-pointer that broke a 54-all tie with 1:36 left to play.

Drexel’s Rachel Pearson answered with a 3 of her own but Carra and Delle Donne combined to make five free throws over the final minute while the Dragons (20-8, 13-4) went scoreless.

The Buffaloes (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12) trailed by 16 points in the first half, and by 10 with 11:46 to play. But Jeffery’s 3-pointer began a 15-2 run that saw Colorado take the lead for the first time.

Colorado led until Jamie Weisner’s 3-pointer with 9 seconds left tied it at 56. In overtime, Brittany Wilson’s 3-pointer in the first minute put the Buffs ahead to stay. Arielle Roberson’s two free throws with 6 seconds left ended the scoring.

Natasha Howard’s three-point play gave the Seminoles (21-8, 11-7) their final lead, 55-53 with 5:42 left, but the Cavaliers ran off the next seven points. Randolph’s 3-pointer put them ahead to stay, 58-55, at the 4:14 mark, and they pulled away with 10-for-10 free-throw shooting in the final 2 minutes.

Ataira Franklin scored 18 points for Virginia, which will be seeded sixth and play Thursday at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

Leonor Rodriguez scored 14 points for fourth-seeded Florida State, which has a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals despite the loss.